Libertarian Party of El Paso County

Where It All Began

The Libertarian Party was born in a Colorado Springs living room on December 11, 1971. Fifty-five years later, we're celebrating right where it started.

★ 55 Years of Liberty

Libertarian Party 55th Birthday

Friday, December 11, 2026 · 6:00 to 9:00 PM · Snooze, Briargate

28 days to go. Founded right here in Colorado Springs, December 11, 1971

Get Tickets →

A Colorado Springs Story

Few people know that a national political party got its start here. On a Saturday in December 1971, eight people gathered at Luke Zell's home in Colorado Springs and voted to form the Libertarian Party. The minutes of that meeting survive, and so does the party they started.

The founding eight, as David Nolan named them

David Nolan · Susan Nolan · Luke Zell · Pipp Boyls · Eric Westling · Hue Futch · Dale Nelson · John James

Fifty-Five Years, Briefly

Entries marked ★ Colorado happened here at home.

  1. Summer 1971★ Colorado

    An idea takes shape

    David Nolan and a few friends began meeting in Westminster, Colorado, to talk about starting a new party. They wrote to libertarian-minded people across the country and agreed to go ahead if 100 of them said yes.

  2. August 15, 1971

    "That settles it"

    The group was meeting when President Nixon announced wage and price controls on national television. Nolan later recalled the moment: if there was ever any doubt that America needed a party for limited government and individual freedom, that settled it.

  3. December 11, 1971★ Colorado

    Born in Colorado Springs

    At the home of Luke Zell in Colorado Springs, eight people voted to form the Libertarian Party. The minutes record that the Committee to Organize a Libertarian Party was formally disbanded, the meeting carried on as the new party's first Steering Committee, and the name "Libertarian Party" was adopted unanimously. Nolan called it "the official birth date of the Libertarian Party."

  4. December 11, 1971★ Colorado

    Colorado gets the first state chair

    That same night, Luke Zell was chosen as Chairman of the Libertarian Party of Colorado. He also became the party's first Lifetime Member.

  5. January 1972★ Colorado

    The party goes public

    The new party announced itself at a press conference, working out of a national headquarters in Westminster. Members chose the name "Libertarian Party" in a vote, and Denver was picked for the first national convention.

  6. June 1972★ Colorado

    First national convention, Denver

    89 delegates from 23 states adopted the Statement of Principles and nominated philosopher John Hospers for President and Tonie Nathan of Oregon for Vice President.

  7. December 1972

    A historic electoral vote

    Virginia elector Roger MacBride cast his electoral vote for Hospers and Nathan, making Tonie Nathan the first woman in American history to receive an electoral vote.

  8. 1980

    Nearly a million votes

    Ed Clark and David Koch drew 920,049 votes, the party's first national result above one percent.

  9. 1988

    Ron Paul carries the banner

    Former Texas Congressman Ron Paul was the Libertarian nominee for President, receiving 432,179 votes.

  10. August 10, 2010★ Colorado

    A Colorado primary first

    Colorado Libertarians held a statewide primary, the first time Colorado had held one for any party besides the Democrats and Republicans since the Progressive Party in 1914 and 1916.

  11. November 21, 2010

    Founder David Nolan dies

    Nolan died in Tucson at 66, two days before his 67th birthday. Besides founding the party, he created the Nolan Chart, the two-axis map of political views behind the "World's Smallest Political Quiz."

  12. 2016★ Colorado

    The best result in party history

    Gary Johnson received 4,489,341 votes (3.28%), the most of any Libertarian presidential nominee. That September, Colorado's Libertarian registration passed 1% of all voters, the first state other than Alaska to do so.

  13. 2020

    First woman at the top of the ticket

    Jo Jorgensen became the party's first female presidential nominee and received 1,865,535 votes.

  14. December 11, 2026★ Colorado

    55 years later, back where it began

    Libertarians from El Paso County and across Colorado gather in Colorado Springs to celebrate the party's 55th birthday, 55 years to the day.

Celebrate With Us

Friday, December 11, 2026, 6:00 to 9:00 PM at Snooze, an A.M. Eatery (Briargate). Featured speaker Johnny Joy, a pancake bar, birthday cake, and Libertarian trivia. Tickets are $15 per person.

Get Tickets →

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